N. Korea leader inspects military as tensions high

Accompanied by top military commanders, Kim watched a flight exercise and a paratrooping drill by the Korean People's Army, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

"He called on the KPA service personnel to put spurs to making preparations for going into action, keeping themselves at maximum alert at all times.

"Once the enemies make a provocation, you should give full play to the inexhaustible combat capability to deal deadly blows at them ... and blow up their strongholds of aggression," he was quoted as saying by KCNA.

The state news agency did not to give the date of the visit but it was believed Kim's latest trip was on Friday.

KCNA said Friday Kim had also inspected a tactical attack exercise combined with live shell firing.

On Thursday, KCNA reported he had visited KPA Unit 323, which is believed to be an anti-air missile unit.

North Korea on February 12 carried out its third nuclear test in seven years in what it says was a riposte to the US hostility shown in the widening of existing UN sanctions following its satellite launch in December last year.

World powers on the UN Security Council united to condemn the nuclear test, and the United States led calls for tougher sanctions.

But Pyongyang has threatened still stronger action, defying warnings of United Nations measures.

North Korea is already under international sanctions for conducting two nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, which both came after long-range rocket launches.